Bus driver's son will join an elite club against Italy on Saturday - and reckons we could see a different result to their meeting at Euro 2012

Pride of Lions: Hodgson took Switzerland to a World Cup but doing it with England feels even better

It is a short list. Just five names. Walter Winterbottom. Alf Ramsey. Ron Greenwood. Bobby Robson. Glenn Hoddle. The only Englishmen to take the Three Lions to a World Cup, writes Martin Lipton in Manaus.

Here on Saturday night, a sixth.

A bus driver’s son from Croydon. A man who had to travel round Europe to get noticed. Who always believed he would get this chance.

"I wouldn’t swap places with anyone," said Hodgson. "I’m really happy to be here. This is where I want to be. It makes me proud.

“It’s nice to know that it is possible, from humble beginnings, to reach good positions - ones you’re justified in having.

“Of course, this is fantastic. World Cups are very special.

"I was proud and excited in 1994 when I took Switzerland [to the finals in the USA] but England is the country of my birth, it’s even greater this time to be able to take England to a World Cup.

“Now I can only hope that the team that I am responsible for performs well. I can give assurances that if it’s a question of wanting, desiring and giving our all to succeed then we will, there is no question of that.’’

As Hodgson knows, fate can conspire against all the plans and preparations.

But two years on from the lesson Andrea Pirlo and Cesare Prandelli’s men handed out in a European Championship quarter-final in Kiev, he is taking a different approach into Saturday's rematch with Italy in their Brazil 2014 opener.

Hodgson recalled: “They had a lot of the ball in 2012. But it was our fourth game and we were tired. This is not the same.

“That was two years ago, it’s history. This is a team going into the game with energy, pace and mobility. I don’t fear that it will be anything like Kiev.

Reuters

Different England, different result? Hodgson's team has changed a lot since Euro 2012 exit

“We’ve got to make certain we make good use of the ball. But we’re not a long-ball team. Yes, we work very hard, but that’s to manoeuvre our way into good positions. Then we have very good technical players capable of keeping the ball.

“I’d like to think we’ll be keeping the ball to unleash some of the talent we’ve got, some of the players who are good at running with the ball [and] running behind defenders without the ball.

“Then, if we can put the ball into those areas, we can score goals. Because that’s what it’s about – we need to score goals.’’